A House Divided Cannot Stand
by Sorceressoftheshire
Summary: The war has ended and peace has been restored...sort of. There is much left for team Avatar to do if true balance is to return to the world, and they still have to live their lives along the way. A story about what happens after the war is over and the Gaang growing up.
1. Ba Sing Se

**Chapter 1**

 **Hi everyone! I just finished rewatching ATLA and I wanted to write about what happened after the war ended as everyone grew up and had to like fix the whole world. This wasn't ever really covered in the show or in LOK but there was a lot more the Gaang would have had to do even after Zuko took the throne. I'm not really going to follow the comics that have come after the TV show just because I want to write my own stories so I hope that's alright with you all. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this new story!**

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Aang sighed and leaned back against Appa's soft coat. The air blowing against him was cold and bit at the bits of skin that weren't covered by his robes. The inky blackness of the sky before him and the calming feelings of the wind currents around him led to quite the feeling of serenity. This was his third trip to the earth kingdom capital in as many weeks and no matter the strategy he and the Earth King attempted, nothing seemed to be improving.

Aang wasn't even sure how much _could_ be fixed in the earth kingdom, but he was growing more and more confident that any major successes wouldn't be happening any time soon. He had just... assumed that things would work themselves out once Zuko took the throne and the war was over. In the last two months he had discovered just how very naïve that thought had been.

The young avatar closed his eyes momentarily as the tasks ahead of him began to weigh on his shoulders once again. He unconsciously slouched down slightly against his bison as if the tasks before him were so insurmountable they physically weighed him down. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, there was absolutely no way he would be able to do any of it alone. Throughout their travels they had gained much goodwill with leaders of nations, but not necessarily with the people. Much of their time spent in the Northern Water tribe and the Earth kingdom had been spent with nobles and generals; people who could help Aang and his friends learn the elements and contribute resources for their battle against Ozai. But Aang now realized that may have been a crucial mistake on their part. It was the people of these nations that had fought the battles, who cherished their traditions, and who had truly suffered in the last century. And to them Aang was a child. A child who yes, was the avatar and had defeated Ozai, but a child nonetheless.

Someone slid down next to Aang on Appa's neck, the rough blanket wrapped around them scraping against Aang's exposed arm as it rubbed against him. Aang opened his eyes and smiled as he was met with Katara's warm expression. Leave it to her to sense when he was getting just a little too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

"Aren't you getting tired?" she asked quietly so as not to wake up Toph who remained asleep behind them in the saddle.

"Not really, it's nice to think up here. It's peaceful" Aang shrugged as Katara arranged her blanket so it was wrapped around the both of them. Aang was aware she knew that he could control the air currents around him so that he never really got too hot or cold, but the gesture caused his chest to tighten slightly.

"Much more peaceful when we're not worrying about the Fire Nation spotting us" Katara giggled, and Aang laughed quietly in return. The water below them remained completely calm and seemingly devoid of life. It was here that the two benders felt the safest. Aang could soar through the sky, surrounded by unrestricting air and Katara could feel the vast expanse of water below her, ready to be summoned at any sign of danger. Not that there was much danger for them to be wary of anymore, but peering into shadows and peeking around corners seemed to be a habit neither of them would ever be rid of.

"You know, you and Toph didn't have to come with me to the Earth Kingdom" Aang started and Katara opened her mouth to protest.

"But" Aang cut her off before she could say anything, "I'm really happy you did."

Katara rolled her eyes at the young airbender and elbowed him playfully, "you know it wouldn't be right of us to make you deal with all of this alone. We're better together, we always have been."

Aang smiled and leaned into her, "you're right. We need each other. But sometimes, it just feels like it won't be enough. Like the world is just a little too broken to fix, even if we do try to fix it together" He frowned, eyes unfocused as they started out at the vast expanse of horizon before them.

"Trust me, I know what you mean. You may feel like Toph and I are doing you some sort of favor, coming with you to meet the Earth King, but really Aang you're helping us as much as we're helping you" Katara huffed, looking down at the young monk beside her.

"Are things down in the South really that bad?" Aang asked, feeling a pang of guilt for leaving Katara and Toph down there alone for as long as he had.

"I mean, not really. Toph hates it of course. It's cold and half the ground is ice so she can't see very well. But the reconstruction is going well. Having so many waterbenders come in from the North has really helped speed the process along, but they're also just so..." she trailed off brow furrowed.

"Yeah" Aang laughed quietly, "I'm guessing your goodwill with them from that Fire Nation attack last year only goes so far."

"Exactly. They'll listen to me to be polite because I'm Hakoda's daughter, but they think I'm just a precocious little girl who doesn't know her place. Which is ridiculous! I've traveled the entire world, I'm a great waterbender, and I helped Zuko beat Azula and take back the throne. If that doesn't make me worthy of their respect than nothing will."

"I remember how frustrating it was back when we tried to get Master Pakku to teach you. I'd never met people so ingrained in their beliefs before. Teaching you would have done nothing but benefit them in the long run and they still refused to do it" Aang replied his hands tightening on the reigns a little as a fraction of the anger he felt then reignited. Katara was one of if not the best waterbender in the world, and they still refused to give her the respect she deserved just because she was a girl. People treated him the same way because they saw him as a child and it was endlessly frustrating.

"I mean, they're not completely hopeless. A fair amount of the women who accompanied their husbands down are water benders and a few of them seem interested in learning more about bending outside of healing. I think they're just scared that it'll reflect badly on their families if they actually follow through.

Sokka's been making progress though. Him and Dad make a great team. We've already rebuilt most of the homes and Sokka's been working on plans for the city's defences. We wouldn't be anywhere near where we are without the Northerners, but they isolated themselves for so long it's hard to get any of them to open up to new ideas; even if they do come from their sister tribe."

"At least Zuko's been making some good progress in the Fire Nation. Last I heard he had finally gotten a good list of corrupt nobles" Aang replied, letting go of Appa's reigns to let his hands rest for a moment.

"Really? He's been working on that since the war ended. I still can't believe his father let everything get so out of hand" Katara shook her head.

"It wasn't just his father. Ever since the war started, Fire Lords were more concerned with troop movements then the everyday going ons of their country. With how bad some of the nobility had gotten on top of all the war reparations it's surprising the country is still as stable as it is."

"Zuko will pull through" Katara stated, matter of factly, "he's a good leader and his people like him. At least the peasants do, but their vote is what really matters."

"When it comes to keeping power yes, but last time I talked to Zuko he told me that most of the nobility in the Fire Nation stood to lose quite a lot from the war ending. Their families had all turned quite the profit in the last hundred years. And without their support it may be hard for Zuko to do anything drastic as the Fire Lord" Aang shrugged.

"You've become quite the politician Aang" Katara smiled and the boy beside her. Aang still carried some of his baby fat on his face, and his eyes were still so young and innocent. But she knew better. As much as Aang hated all the backhandedness that came with politics he was rather good at it. As the Avatar he had to be.

Aang rolled his eyes and frowned, "ugh I know, I hate it. All this scheming and backroom dealing that goes on makes me feel dirty. I'd rather not get involved but I don't really have a choice."

"Never forget you have all of us here to help you Aang" Katara said, wrapping her arms around him under their shared blanket, "Sokka's always been good at that stuff and you know Zuko will do as much as he can outside of his duties as the Fire Lord. Toph and I may not be as good at the whole strategy thing but we'll do what we can. You're never _making_ any of us do anything, we want to help."

Aang felt his cheeks heat up slightly, "thank you Katara."

The girl beside him gave a warm smile in return, "now go get some rest, you can't try to fix the Earth Kingdom without sleep."

Aang squeezed her hand as he stood up and floated up into Appa's saddle. Toph lie spread eagle on the other side, snoring and completely unperturbed by her friends' conversation. Looking up at the twinkling stars, Aang estimated they would reach the Earth King's castle in four hours time. As he like down against the smooth bottom of the saddle a small smile unconsciously found its way to his face. No matter the future held for each of them they would face it together, as a team.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Aang opened his eyes and squinted against the bright rays of the morning sun. He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, flopping back down in the saddle.

"Get up Twinkle toes, we're almost at the palace" Toph yelled at him, banishing any remnants of sleep clouding the Avatar's mind. Aang grumbled something in response but sat up, stretching out his back. Katara and Toph sat at Appa's reigns, sharing what seemed to be some of the food Katara had packed when Aang had arrived at the Southern Water Tribe to pick them up.

"What's the plan when we land Aang?" Katara asked, turning around to face the monk.

"Well I have to meet with the Earth King again, I want to know how Ba Sing Se has been fairing and what they're planning on doing with all the villages that were basically anilliated during the war. I was hoping you two could go out and help with some of the rebuilding that's been happening near the outer wall. Toph, they could probably use another earthbender and it would be great if you two could talk to some of the people living down there and see how the subjects of Ba Sing Se are really feeling about everything" Aang listed, counting down the tasks on his fingers.

"Sounds good" replied Katara with a smile.

"I'll leave the interviewing part to Katara" Toph frowned, crossing her arms.

The three of them looked out towards the horizon as the massive walls of the Earth Kingdom capital came into view. The massive hole still remained from the White Lotus's liberation, but much of the rubble had been cleared away.

"I guess they haven't needed to repair the wall now that the Fire Nation isn't attacking any more" Katara commented as Appa soared over the fields below and Aang leaned over the side of the saddle to wave at the farmers looking up at the massive sky bison.

"They haven't fixed it yet?" Toph asked, "you'd think they'd still want to feel as secure as they could. The war only ended a few months ago."

Five minutes later Appa passed over the outer wall, drawing the astonished looks of the guards. Most had heard stories about the Avatar, but it was another thing to see the boy who had stopped the Fire Lord in person.

Aang laughed as a gaggle of children below yelled and waved up at them. He raised his hand high in the air and waved back, wishing he could go down and join in whatever game they were playing.

"I still can't believe it was less than a year ago we were staying in one of those houses in the upper ring and trying to tell the Earth King about the eclipse" Katara said wistfully, "not saying times were better, but I do kind of miss when it was just the five of us."

"Five?" Toph asked.

"I'm including Zuko" Katara smiled.

"I agree" Aang chimed in from his seat in the saddle, "I miss Team Avatar being together and traveling the world."

"You two are such pansies" Toph teased with a smile, giving Katara a punch in the arm.

Appa drifted past row after row of Earth Kingdom homes until the three finally reached the palace. It was still rather magnificent to Aang, no matter how many times he saw it.

Reaching for his glider he stood in the saddle, "I'll see you two in a few hours. Good luck!" and with that he leaped into the air, forcing the currents up under the wings of his glider to carry him down towards the palace.

Gliding through the sky like this was another time Aang always felt at peace. He might have been the Avatar, but he would always be an airbender at heart. As the air soared past him, he could feel every pocket, every vein of wind as it moved over his body.

As Appa turned to head back towards the outer wall, Aang's feet floated gently towards the ground and the wings of his glider retracted back in. The massive doors before him stood open, and dozens of people were walking in and out of the palace.

He smiled and waved at all of them, greeting the ones he knew by name. In the shadows he noticed Di Lee agents, lurking. Why the Earth King hadn't chosen to disband that particular branch of the government he would never really know. Aang had a feeling the King did not want to disrespect Avatar Kyoshi's legacy, and felt that by doing so he would estrange many admirers of the Earth Kingdom's last Avatar.

"Avatar Aang" someone called out to him as he made his way towards the King's throne room. Aang turned to see a young man dressed in servents clothes running towards him.

The man seemed to be having a difficult time catching his breath as he approached Aang with a look of wonder in his emerald green eyes, "the uh, Earth King is expecting you sir!" he managed to squeak out, "he's waiting in one of the strategy rooms. If you would follow me." He gestured off to his left and waited.

Aang gave the young man a warm smile, his round face emphasizing just how young he was, "sure!"

As the two walked Aang turned towards the servant, "so what's your name?"

"Oh! Uh, I'm San!" the servant stuttered out, seemly baffled at being addressed by the Avatar in such a way. However Aang had never been one to pay any attention at all to class differences.

"Do you live in the city San?" Aang asked, his default friendly smile remaining on his face.

"Uh, yes I do! I live with my mother and father and sister in the lower ring" San replied, face a bit red from surprise.

"How has the reconstruction been going down there?" Aang asked, innocently, "I know a lot of damage was done when the White Lotus fought the Fire Nation."

"Well..." San began, trying to come up with the right words, "rebuilding has definitely been...slow. But the people from the palace have been trying their best to make sure everyone has a roof over their heads. And food allocation has been going smoothly, so that's another worry off everyone's minds."

"I'm glad, but why has it been going so slow?" Aang probed.

"Uh well, I'm not really sure. Too much to do and not enough people probably. People here are doing well compared to the rest of the Earth Kingdom if the stories we've heard about some of the smaller towns are true."

Aang nodded pensively, and the two stopped in front of a large set of double doors. He gave the young man another smile, "it was nice to meet you San!" and walked right through.

Immediately Aang was faced with a mass of brown fur, which caused him to open his arms wide and embrace the giant creature blocking his way.

"Bosco!" he yelled jubilantly. The giant brown bear roared in response, licking the top of the Avatar's bald head.

"Hello Aang!" the Earth King called from across the room, and Bosco moved to sit beside his owner. Aang waved to the Earth King and his advisors and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. Aang always appreciated the King's choice of furniture. By choosing a circular table instead of a round one, much of the power dynamic in the room was dispersed. Aang was still the Avatar and Kuei was still the Earth King without being forced to sit at the heads of a long table. Every advisor was included and seemed more inclined to share their ideas.

"So what's the update?" Aang asked, folding his legs beneath him in his chair. Katara always chastised him that it wasn't the proper way to sit, but Aang always felt most comfortable with his legs tucked up safely beneath him.

"Repairs in the city have been going well" an advisor (Kang was his name, Aang remembered) off to his left began.

"Efforts to give the citizens shelter have been going well and most resources are plentiful at the moment so there are no worries about the homeless starving or going cold" a new advisor who sat next to the King added. Aang had never seen him before, he looked to be about 40 with the green eyes of an Earth Kingdom native.

Aang nodded, that aligned with what he had learned from San. He hated never being able to trust the Earth King and his advisors completely, but Sokka had always told him it was better to hear things directly from the source instead of a middleman who could mix up the message and he was right. He also knew that government bureaucrats tended to be slightly unaware of how their subjects actually felt.

"I heard repairs aren't going as fast as some may like" Aang commented, looking at the men and women before him.

"We're doing the best with what we have at our disposal" the woman sitting next to him replied, pulling out a few sheets of paper from the bag she had at her feet, "many of our able bodied men are still coming home, so we're moving as fast as we can all considering."

"Thank you, uh..." Aang faltered, not knowing the advisor's name.

"Poppy" she supplied helpfully.

"Thanks Poppy" Aang continued, "when is the next round of soldiers supposed to arrive back?"

"Well one of the outer squadrons returned last night and some more troops should be returning later this week" she answered, reading from the papers she had before her.

"We want to give them time to get settled in again before we start asking them to help with repairs" the Earth King added.

Aang nodded. Many of the Earth Kingdom soldiers had been fighting for decades and had families they hadn't seen in years. It was only fair to give them time to rest before asking them to rebuild, if they were willing to help at all. "It's good to know that the city is doing well but how about the rest of the Earth Kingdom?"

At this many of the King's advisors huffed, a general aura of frustration settling around the room.

"That's where our real problems lie Aang" the King said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "many of these towns have nearly been destroyed by thugs and Fire Nation soldiers over the last century and the people living there aren't willing to abandon their homes just yet and relocate to somewhere a bit more developed."

"We may have enough resources to help the people inside the walls but we just don't have enough to rebuild these villages, and we don't have enough manpower to provide a stable government for all of them" Kang chimed in again.

"Well it would be best if they could choose their own leaders" Aang said with a frown, "not to be blunt but many of those people had to fend for themselves without any real assistance from the Earth Kingdom during the war. I don't think they would take kindly to a government bureaucrat suddenly showing up and telling them what to do."

"They are still under control of the Earth King" an older woman scoffed, looking a bit affronted. "It's not like we had many people to spare to help some inconsequential village."

"I understand that Madam Yi Ming, but if every inconsequential village suddenly loses the autonomy they've become accustomed to over the last century and decides to revolt against the monarchy they aren't very inconsequential anymore" Aang placated.

"The Avatar is right" the Earth King nodded, "these people have managed to survive a brutal war without any help at all from their leaders. It's unfair to treat them like children that need to be managed. That being said, many of these villages don't have any sources of income and the people are suffering because of it."

Aang hunched over slightly and looked down at his ankles crossed below him, deep in thought. The Earth King and his advisors continued to discuss the current state of things, from the possibility of opening up trade with the Water Tribes to attempting to negotiate higher reparations from the Fire Nation.

"I don't think that would be fair" Aang finally spoke up, when Madam Yi Ming mentioned taking advantage of the new Fire Lord's inexperience to negotiate a trade deal with the Fire Nation that would only benefit the Earth Kingdom.

"All this mess is their fault! Why shouldn't we be trying to make the best of a bad situation?"

"Fire Lord Zuko is good man and a smart leader. He may be new but he's not stupid, and by submitting a trade deal that would rather obviously undermine the Fire Nation you would only continue to reinforce the bad blood between the two nations. And besides I think you may have the solution to your problems right under your noses" Aang replied, taking a deep breath to keep himself from snapping at Madam Yi Ming. She may be rather irritating, but he knew she was just trying to do what was best for the Earth Kingdom.

"What do you mean Aang?" the Earth King asked.

"Well" Aang started with a smile, "reconstruction in the city has been slow because of a lack of manpower right? And you have all these people in these villages that are suffering because there's no way for them to bring in money." A small sense of satisfaction burned in Aang's belly as a few of the people seated around him began to form an idea of what he was suggesting.

"Are you suggesting we hire people from the villages to come in and assist in the reconstruction of the city?" Poppy asked, adjusting her glasses and looking on at the young Avatar with intrigue.

"Exactly. That way you have more manpower, the villagers have a source of income, and the villages get to remain autonomous" Aang smiled at the people around the room. He was proud of himself for coming up with a solution that could help everyone, especially those suffering the most.

"Excellent! That is a fantastic idea Aang" the Earth King exclaimed and Bosco sat up on his back legs and clapped along with his owner, "I think we can call this meeting a success for now. Kang will you please begin to draw up plans for such an operation? And Aang thank you for flying all the way out here to meet with us."

Aang stood and bowed towards the King who returned the gesture, "of course, send me a message if my assistance is needed again."

With that he grabbed his staff and exited the room as the King and his advisors packed up their materials. As he made his way back towards the gardens outside the palace he groaned and rubbed his neck. The meeting had taken at least five hours judging the sun's position in the sky. There was still a few hours until dusk, and Aang decided to wander towards his favorite tea shop while he waited on Katara and Toph.

He knew not everyone in that meeting had been satisfied with his solution. It would drain much of the Kingdom's resources to create travel routes for the villagers, and then accommodate and feed them once they arrived in the city. But every party involved would benefit from the deal and that was what really mattered to Aang. He wasn't here to just help the Earth Kingdom, but to help them with solutions that helped the King and his subjects without detriment to any of the other three Nations.

Pushing the stressful thoughts of diplomacy from his mind, Aang smiled when the beautiful building that housed the Jade Dragon came into view. Iroh was always one to dole out good advice, which was always made better over a fantastic cup of tea.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **Wow yeah so this chapter is a lot longer than I thought it would be. Apparently I like writing about political dealings, so I hope that chunk wasn't too boring for you all lol. I'm really excited to write more about what team Avatar gets up to after the war ends. Expect the second chapter soon and please leave a review with thoughts you had reading. If you have any ideas about my story please let me know or send me a PM! I'd love to try to incorporate them into my story!**


	2. The Southern Water Tribe part 1

**Chapter 2**

 **I was listening to this album called Time Falls like Moonlight by City Girl while writing this. It's really good writing music! Not too sad or happy to effect the mood of my writing, just catchy. I also felt in the show they glossed over the innate patriarchal set up of the Northern Watertribe, people don't tend to abandon beliefs like that very quickly and I can see it becoming a point of contention between the North and South very easily.**

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **The Southern Water Tribe, part 1**

"Katara, Aang, Toph!" Sokka yelled, running out to greet his friends as soon as soon as Appa's feet touched the snow.

Toph groaned from her position in Appa's saddle, "I really, _really_ hate the snow."

Katara smiled ruefully at her friend, "I'm sorry you had to get dragged back down here Toph." She grabbed two of the packs full of provisions that had been packed for their journey, "I know you can't see very well."

Toph gripped the edge of Appa's saddle and reached for Sokka's waiting hand to help her down, "you're right about that. I wasn't gonna make you face those Northern jerks again without backup though." She shot the other girl a grin, before landing firmly on the frozen ground. Sokka walked with her back to his family's home to grab her a pair of shoes. Even Toph's tough feet couldn't withstand the chill of the arctic tundra.

Aang and Katara shared a smile as Sokka guided their friend over the ice back towards the house. Sokka always did a good job of helping their friend out without making her feel weak, a skill Katara herself was still trying to master.

Aang slid off of Appa's neck and gave the bison a good scratch behind his horn, "thanks for taking us all that way buddy. Go get some rest." The sky bison groaned in response and ambled off towards a small patch of grass that had managed to poke it's way through the snow.

Katara handed Aang the rest of their provisions, only to be bombarded by Momo, who could smell their leftover food. He landed on Aang's arm, squawking at the young monk for access to the berries he could smell in the bag.

Aang let out a twinkling laugh before opening the sack. The two benders watched Momo in amusement for a few moments as he dived in head first before beginning the walk up to the Chief's home at the top of the glacial hill. Aang had to watch his footstep as he tried to avoid the parts of the street coated in a sheet of ice.

 _They've gotten all this built so quickly._ Aang's head whipped left to right as he took in the brand new ice buildings that lined the newly frozen streets of the southern water tribe. Though they may have been built in the same style as those of the Northern tribe, he could tell the Southerners had chosen to design them in a way that differentiated their home from that of their sister tribe. The buildings were definitely less extravagant, there were no needless decorations or carvings adorning the outside of each home, just tokens to identify the family living inside. The buildings were much sorter as well; from what he could tell, none of them were higher than a story, yet they still seemed magnificent.

"We always prefered huts to ice buildings, but I have to admit these are much sturdier" Katara commented as she glanced over to see the awed expression on the Avatar's face, "though they do get much colder. A hut made of skins keeps in the warmth a lot better."

"I just can't believe this is the same Southern Water Tribe I saw a year ago" Aang waved at some of the mothers who recognized him from the last time he had visited their tribe. They seemed to be trading with vendors at the market place with their children by their sides. There were a few men standing a few feet away from the mothers, leaning up against one of the ice buildings. From what he could tell each of the young men was dressed in warriors garb, though it looked different from the traditional wear he had always seen Hakoda and his men wearing.

"Are those some of the men that traveled down from the North?" he asked Katara quietly, trying not to make a point of staring.

Katara nodded and the men suddenly looked their way. Though they seemed content to ignore the women trading in the markets, Katara was not afforded the same luxury. Aang felt a small bubble of anger rise in his throat as he watched the Northerners turn to whisper to one and other.

"Can I help you boys with anything?" Katara called out to them, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Don't think so" one of the men answered, causing his friends to snicker. Katara shot them all a bone chilling glare which seemed to shut them up, at least for the time being.

"How do you put up with that Katara?" Aang asked as they walked away.

Katara shrugged, "I hate it but I don't really have a choice. Construction isn't completely done yet and I'm the chief's daughter, anything I do in retaliation reflects badly on him."

Aang glanced back over his shoulder, giving the young men an unseen glare, "still..."

"Don't worry about it Aang, I can handle them" Katara sighed, ending the discussion. She pushed aside the hide covering the door to her family's new home.

Aang marveled at the beautiful interior. Leave it to the Southern Tribe to take a building made of ice and still make it feel warm somehow. A large fire raged to the right of them, and soft skins lined the floor to protect its inhabitants from freezing feet. There were even large windows around the room, letting the daylight in to illuminate the smooth icy walls.

"Your dad did a good job decorating" Aang smiled as he took a seat by the fire, absorbing its warmth.

Katara walked over to join him, "you think Dad did this?" she snickered, "trust me, it was all Gran Gran." Aang let out a hearty laugh, eyes turning towards the opposite room as a figure emerged.

"Suki!" he exclaimed, rising from his spot near the fire to hug his friend.

"Hi Aang, Katara" she waved.

Katara rose to greet her friend, "you look good in water tribe blue." The two girls shared a warm embrace as Sokka followed Suki into the main room.

"Doesn't she?" he placed a theatric kiss on his girlfriend's cheek.

Suki blushed slightly, laughing "well my warrior uniform isn't really made for the arctic tundra."

Toph waddled in, following Suki and Sokka, "guys..."

Her four friends turned to face her before bursting out into laughter.

"Awe c'mon, do I look that stupid?"

"Yes" Sokka managed through snorts.

Their favorite earthbender had put on some of Katara's extra furs in an effort to stay warm, but as she was nearly a head shorter than the waterbender she mostly resembled a child trying on their mother's clothes to play dress up.

Katara whipped a tear from her eye before striding over to help the earthbender, "alright, let's go find you something that fits."

After the two girls we back in the bedroom, Sokka turned to face Aang, "how long do you plan on staying down here? Not that you're not welcome, I just thought you were a little busy right now."

Aang smiled at the watertribe boy, "I'm not sure yet. It would be nice to stay in one place for a little while and I think Katara could use a little extra back up with the Northerners." He cracked his neck, a little stiff from flying for so long, "she told me you were having a little trouble with the, ah, cultural differences."

Sokka put his arm around Suki and snorted, "you could say that again. Those Northerners are a bunch of pompous jerks."

"Sokka" Suki rolled her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, they've done a lot to help us rebuild our tribe and I'm really grateful for that but without my sister they would have been taken over by the Fire Nation last year. I just think she deserves a little more respect."

Aang nodded, "I agree, but there has to be away to let them know that without insulting their way of life. I may not agree with how they run things but it's still their tradition."

"Well _Avatar_ maybe you could say something at dinner tonight" Suki suggested, looking at the two boys, "they owe you quite a bit too."

"Aang's basically Katara's boyfriend" Sokka smirked, "I'm not sure how much credit they'll give to his defence." Aang could feel his blush rise all the way to his ears, he prefered not to think about his ambiguous relationship with his closest friend.

"Shut up Sokka" Katara emerged with a much less miffed looking Toph, "I appreciate the thought but I can defend myself thank you very much."

Aang smiled at her, and the gesture was returned. Suki and Sokka shared a look and giggled quietly. The room was void of conversation for few moments before Toph groaned.

"Get a room, all of you" she linked her hands behind her head and walked outside, whistling.

"Uh, we should probably follow her and make sure she doesn't fall into the ocean" Suki laughed, and the group of friends made their way down towards the center of the tribe where the market was now located.

Time seemed to fly as the five friends wandered around and generally caused chaos. Sokka managed to get an entire octopus stuck to his face and when Katara finally pulled it off, the suction marks on his face made it look he'd lost a pretty serious fight. Suki couldn't seem to hold herself together after that, bursting into laughter every time she glanced over at her boyfriend. This caused Sokka to pout, until the marks started to fade and Suki composed herself. Aang and Katara were telling Toph about the time they had gone penguin sledding together, after the siblings had found Aang trapped in the iceberg.

"I mean we _did_ accidentally set off a flare in the Fire Nation ship" Aang admitted with a sheepish look, "but hey, because of that we met Zuko!"

"Yeah!" Sokka yelled, " _mean_ Zuko! He knocked over my watch tower!"

Katara snorted, "you mean your snow fort?"

"It was a _warrior's battle station_ Katara!" Sokka yelled defensively, his pout returning.

"Still I can't believe that was a little over a year ago" Aang wondered, looking around once again at the sparkling ice surrounding them, "and then right after that we met you Suki!"

Suki smiled, "and right after that I beat up Sokka!"

Sokka's cheeks lit up slightly at that comment and his pout deepened to the point that he resembled an impetuous child.

"It's okay Sokka, you made a pretty girl" Suki leaned over to give her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

Sokka ran his hand over his head with an exaggerated swagger, "that I did Suki my dear."

They all laughed at that. The market had begun to empty as families began to prepare for the tribal dinner the Chief was throwing that night to celebrate the new unity of the Northern and Southern Tribes.

Katara sighed as they all walked back towards the house to put on nicer clothes for the dinner, "honestly Aang? I'm glad you're going to be at this stupid dinner tonight, if I had to go alone I don't know if I'd be able to keep my temper in check."

Aang turned a light shade of red, "does that mean we're going together? Like...together, together?"

It could have been a trick of the light but Aang swore he saw the waterbender's cheeks get a bit rosier, "of course! If I bring a date those Northern boys might leave me alone for once."

"Oh, uh I see" Aang deflated slightly, eyes turning towards the ground. Katara looked towards him and this time she was definitely blushing.

"I also...uh, want to go with you Aang."

Immediately the Avatar perked up, "really?"

Katara rolled her eyes and elbowed the shorter boy beside her, "of course."

Toph snickered from behind them and Aang realized she had been listening to the entire awkward exchange. This time the blush made its way to the back of his neck.

As soon as he reached the bedroom he changed into his senior monk robes. He rather disliked them, there was too much fabric. But as he pulled the wooden pendant over his head, he forgot his discomfort. He never felt worthy to wear a necklace like Monk Gyatso. If his people had still been alive, his pendant would have proven his rank to them and shown that he was now equal to his Master. He picked up the wooden circle in his hands and gripped it tightly, unconscious tears forming in his eyes as he studied the swirls carved into it. Even if he had stopped Ozai, he still felt unworthy. He people had died, and now he was all that remained to carry on their legacy. As much as he disagreed with the philosophy of the Northern Water Tribe, he couldn't fault them for wanting to protect it.

The world was changing, and when you valued tradition change could seem terrifying. Aang knew that had his people still been alive, he may have chosen to kill the Fire Lord. Avatar Yang Chen herself had told him it was the choice she would have made. But it was different for Aang. He was all that remained of the Air Nomads, and he couldn't bring himself to betray their traditions like that. He was the only one left to keep them alive.

"Aang?"

He looked up and realized there were tears staining the wooden circle resting in his palm. He dropped the necklace and whipped his eyes hastily.

Katara walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his small frame, "he would have been proud you know."

Aang wrapped his arms around her in return, "I hope so."

"Toph, Sokka, and Suki left a few minutes ago. Are you ready to go?" Katara gave him a warm smile and took his hand. Aang nodded and followed her out of the room, mind still slightly hazy with emotion. No matter how old he got or what happened to him, the loss of his people would always be his most painful wound.

"We've come along way, we've accomplished a lot Aang" Katara said suddenly as the two of them made their way down the path towards the dining hall, "we should be proud of ourselves too."

Aang looked up at her a bit startled, "I guess...you're right. There's still so much left to do, but we've done a lot already."

Katara smiled at him and gripped his hand a little tighter.

The lights outside of the hall reflected beautifully off the icy walls of the quiet streets. It was almost as if little lightning bugs were flying around, their light flickering on and off. Aang once again had to admire how beautiful it was. The shining ice below him made it feel as if he was walking through a puddle of pure light. The entire town was cold and still, but peaceful.

Katara pushed the hide covering aside and pulled Aang through the doorway. Aang smiled at all the water tribesmen sat around the massive table. Hakoda sat at it's head on a platform slightly above the rest. On his left side was Sokka with Suki beside him and Toph beside her. Katara and Aang took a seat on his right and it seemed that with their arrival, everyone was present. Aang looked out at the people before him. Seated on the left side of the table seemed to be everyone of importance in the Southern Tribe. They were laughing together and drinking what seemed to be spiced rum. On the right side of the table was the Northern Tribe. It didn't take Aang long to notice that only men filled that side of the table. He frowned, this was a celebratory event and even still the women were excluded? The people seated around the table all awarded him respectfully nods to acknowledge his presence, but it seemed that only Katara's tribesmen were willing to do the same for her.

Aang had to admit the left side of the table seemed much more fun.

The first serving was placed on the table before them. It seemed to be some sort of seaweed soup, and from what Aang could tell it was meatless.

Katara leaned over to whisper in his ear, "don't worry, it's vegetable broth. Dad wanted to make sure there was stuff you could eat."

Aang smiled at her, and leaned forwards to thank Hakoda. Traditional meals of the Water Tribe tended to be meat based so he was appreciative of the thought. The Chief noticed his gaze and nodded in return with a warm smile that Aang couldn't help but notice seemed a bit strained. He guessed the tensions between the two tribes were getting to him as well. There was no way the man would be pleased with the sister tribe's treatment of his daughter. The man raised strong children, and Aang assumed he wanted them to be respected as such.

After the first course was finished, Hakoda raised his hand in a request for silence from his guests. "I would like to thank you all for attending this dinner tonight. I know that the relationship between our two tribes has suffered after many decades of neglect, but I hope this beautiful city surrounding us gives you all hope that we can work together once again. Long standing traditions has made it difficult for us all to get along, but I know that everyone seated at this table is mature enough to award their sister tribesmen the respect they all deserve." At that Hakoda sent a rather pointed look at the Northerners sat at the table, who all shifted rather awkwardly under his gaze.

"I would also like to thank Avatar Aang for joining us in this celebration tonight. I know _both_ my children cherish him deeply and let me say on behalf of both Water Tribes, thank you Aang for everything you've done." Hakoda gave him a wink as he finished his speech and wore expression on his face that reminded Aang a little too much of the man's son.

"Thank you Chief Hakoda" Aang addressed him in a clear tone before turning to face the men and women seated before him, "and thank you all of you. I am deeply indebted to both the Northern and Southern tribes and always will be. Sokka and Katara are some of my closest friends and I would not have been able to accomplish what I have without them. Sokka is a noble and brave warrior and Katara is one of the fiercest waterbenders I have ever met. The both of them deserve just as much credit as I."

Aang's speech was met with grunts of approval from the right and friendly smiles from the left. Katara sat a little taller beside him, her face glowing with praise.

She reached under the table and squeezed Aang's hand, "thank you for saying that."

Aang shrugged and smiled at the Water Tribe girl beside him, "it's true. You and Sokka did just as much as I did to win the war. You both deserved to be recognized for that."

A quiet roar of conversation filled the room. Aang looked out at the many friendly faces before him. He recognized a handful of the Northerners from the short time he had spent in their home. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves somewhat, if not as much as the Southern tribesmen who seemed to be going through the tribe's store of spiced rum rather quickly.

Aang noticed that beside him Sokka didn't seem as relaxed as he. Some of the Northern tribesmen were sending over discrete glances towards Suki, Katara and Toph and then muttering amongst themselves. Sokka crossed his arms defensively and frowned towards the right side of the room. Sokka's view of women had evolved drastically over the last year, mostly due to the influence of the strong and confident girls who he had spent most of his time with. Aang could understand why he would feel discontented at the whispers that were passing from man to man about some of his closest companions.

He was sure many of the men before him would be elated to catch Hakoda's daughter's eye. A marriage between the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Tribe and a warrior from the North _would_ cement the Tribes' status as allies and Katara was a powerful waterbender. Likely any children she bore would be powerful as well. But Aang knew Hakoda would never marry his daughter off like that. Arranged marriages were nearly unheard of in the Southern Tribe, especially since many of the men had left to fight in the war. And it was unlikely Katara would show interest in any of them after the way she had been treated over the last few months. Even today, those young men's condescending looks as she walked with Aang said a lot more about how much of a lesser being they saw her then it seemed on the surface. Katara would never put up with such treatment, even if it would benefit her village.

In the eyes of the Northerns Katara was invited to this dinner because she was the daughter of the Chief, albeit a bit begrudgingly, she was welcome here. She could only be here because of her status, no matter how much she had done to restore balance. But Suki and Toph were outsiders. Friends of the Chief's children sure, but outsiders all the same. It seemed that watching two women who were not part of the Southern tribe dine on the same side of the table as a Chief was something that bothered the men to a worrying extent. Aang had only been present for this culture clash for less then a day but even he could see that it would take decades for these prejudices to fade. The fact that gender roles were less strict here as well as the presence of a lax social hierarchy could cause many of the Northern tribesmen to see Hakoda as a weak Chief who did not demand the respect of his people.

Of course it was different in the South. There had never been a strict social hierarchy as there was no royal family or nobility. Hakoda was the closest thing they had to a King and Sokka and Katara the closest thing to royalty, but the duties of a Chief and those of a King differed greatly; a king was to command while a Chief was to lead. The people _chose_ to follow Hakoda because he was a honorable warrior and a strong leader, they could abandon him at any point if his people thought he was no longer capable of leading them. Aang could understand why Katara had been so ready to escape when he had picked up her and Toph a few days ago. Even he was having a hard time keeping his mouth shut and he had only been present for a day.

Another plate was set down before him, pulling Aang out of his ponderings. An assortment of different vegetables and other greens sat before him, and Aang felt his mouth start to water. That soup definitely hadn't done enough to sate his appetite.

Glancing around the room, he noticed the Water Tribesmen had all begun to pile their own plates high with different assortments of cured meats. Sokka looked as if heaven itself had placed itself down before him and Aang couldn't help but smile at his friend's goofy grin.

As Aang began to tackle his pile of vegetables, he noticed that a few of the Northerners had begun to stare at him. He tried to give them a friendly smile in return, but they didn't seem inclined to return the gesture.

Aang looked over at Katara, who was glaring at the men. She shook her head at Aang and shared a look with her father. Aang had no clue what any of it was about, what had he done to upset them so in the last few minutes?

He tried to focus on his meal, but it was difficult to eat with all eyes on him; especially because he really had no clue what he had done wrong. Growing frustrated with the unwanted attention Aang looked back up, ready to ask the men why they were so enamored with him but one of the Northern Tribesmen spoke up before he had the chance to snap at them.

"Avatar Aang, pardon our asking, but are you not fond of the traditional foods of the Water Tribe?"

Aang cocked his head slightly, "I'm sorry? What do you mean?" At this point the side conversations had died down slightly and most were watching the strange confrontation.

Katara grunted behind him and crossed her arms. "You've got to be kidding me" she mumbled, expression growing darker.

"We only ask because it seems you have chosen to forgo our traditional feasting foods for another option."

Aang glanced down at his vegetables and it finally clicked. They felt he was disrespecting their traditional cuisine by refusing to eat it.

 _Geeze._ Aang took a deep breath, trying to piece together an answer that would satisfy the Northerners and explain his own beliefs. Before he could open his mouth however, Katara began to speak.

"Aang is a vegetarian, almost all air nomads were. It's his _tradition_." Aang could tell the waterbender was positively fuming beside him. The Northern men all seemed rather taken aback by her comment. Katara would never have been permitted to speak that way if they were on the other pole, but Hakoda had done nothing to silence her. It seemed that she could handle the disrespect shown towards her, but not her friends. Aang had to admit his meal was a petty thing to get upset over, but Katara was likely to say something that would put her father in an awkward position.

"Katara it's okay" Aang tried, giving her a pleading look.

"No it's not Aang" she turned to face the tribesmen seated before her, putting on an expression that would've made anyone nervous. "This has to stop. I understand that our cultures are wildly different, but my people have been walking on eggshells around you all because we're grateful for all that you've done for us. And I for one am sick and tired of it. We've done much more to accommodate your ways than you have ours. You've all been nothing but disrespectful towards me and my friends since we landed this morning and that's unacceptable. This is _not_ a Northern Watertribe dinner, and Aang can eat whatever he wants."

"Watch your tone girl" one of the older men warned, and even Aang couldn't help but gawk at him.

"Don't you dare talk to my sister that way!" Sokka yelled, his temper getting the better of him. Suki put a hand on his shoulder, which seemed to be the only thing stopping him from launching himself forward to pumble the old man.

"You let your children speak in such a way?" a man at the end of the table scoffed. It seemed to Aang that he was the men's unofficial leader.

Hakoda straightened, and placed his hands on the knees of his crossed legs "Though they may lack any diplomatic tact, my children are right Kassuq. My people had fed you and housed you in the many long months you have been here and you have paid us back with your hard work in the reconstruction of our city. We are grateful, which is why I have been silent up to this point but my daughter is right. You have _not_ shown her the respect she is due both as my daughter and as a person." Aang tried to nod diplomatically, unsure of how to diffuse the situation without offending either side.

"Your _daughter_ does not know her place" one of the younger benders amongst the Northerners rolled his eyes at the chief, and Aang had to reach over and physically restrain Katara from getting up to fight him.

"You all think you're so much better than me?" Katara yelled, "I bet I could take any one of you in a fight!"

The bender who had just addressed Hakoda stood up and faced his daughter, "fine then. Tomorrow morning."

"Fine!" Katara replied, storming from the hall.

Aang groaned internally and from the corner of his eye he saw Hakoda pinching the bridge of his nose. Katara had held her own against the master who had trained all the best benders from the north, this young fool had no chance against her. But, his defeat tomorrow would only make things worse between the two tribes.

Maybe the relationship between the South's sister tribe was just too damaged to fix.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **I hope nothing got too off character in this chapter. This is pt. 1 of my southern watertribe saga. Please let me know what you think in the comments!**


	3. The Southern Water Tribe part 2

**Chapter 3**

 **Hey everyone! I've gotten a few PM's so far and I'm glad you've all liked the story so far. Please enjoy this new chapter and leave a review if you feel like it!**

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **The Southern Water Tribe, part 2**

"Katara!" Aang called after his friend as she stormed up the hill back to her home, fists clenched and angry determination written all over her face.

"Katara, c'mon!" Sokka tried, after she refused to turn around. The waterbender reached the entrance to her home and disappeared inside. Aang, looked back at Sokka, Suki, and Toph who all gave him variations of an 'I don't know what to do either' look. Aang ran after his friend, only slipping on the icy path once or twice in his haste and entered the Chief's house. He walked into the bedroom that the siblings shared to find Katara silently fuming on her furs, arms crossed.

"Katara please, you can't fight tomorrow" Aang tried again, attempting to keep his tone as unpatronizing and reasonable as possible.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do Aang. You know that I'll be able to beat that jerk, easy" Katara huffed, standing to face her friend.

"That's what I'm afraid of Katara! If you embarrass one of their benders in front of the tribes it won't make them respect you it will just hurt their pride" Aang tried to reason, hearing his three friends walk into the room behind him.

"I think Aang's right Katara. As much as I'd like to watch you beat up one of those snooty jerks this isn't the way we should settle this" Sokka said, flinching when his little sister sent him a scathing glare.

"I don't care that it won't help!" Katara yelled back, throwing her hands into the air, "I'm fighting tomorrow and that's final."

The four of them kept trying for another hour to convince Katara to back down from the fight until she finally got angry enough to kick them out of the bedroom, leaving them to try to make beds in front of the fire in the main room.

"I don't get why she's being so unreasonable. Everyone with a brain knows she can beat that guy easily, why does she have to prove it?" Sokka asked, brow knitted in frustration, "she had the same meltdown when she challenged Master Pakku when we were in the North."

"It's cause this is her home Sokka" Toph answered, laying back on the thick furs that lined the floor, "they're disrespecting her on her own turf and she just can't let that slide. You know Katara, she hates it when people tell her she can't do something."

"It doesn't matter! This is going to make things between the tribes a hundred times worse" Aang groaned, burying his face in his knees.

"I'm not saying it won't but I am saying that i get it" Toph replied, staring blankly up at the ceiling, "when people treat you like you're weak, sometimes you just need to beat something up. To prove to at least one person that you're stronger than they think you are. It was the same for me back at home; it was why I started fighting in those underground matches."

"I get it too" Suki chimed in, "that's why my warriors hated Sokka so much when we first met him. It was so out of the realm of possibility in his mind that _girls_ would be able to beat him up that he couldn't even process it."

"Listen, I'm not saying I don't get it" Sokka rolled his eyes, "I'm just saying it's a really stupid move."

"It is" Suki agreed, "but we all know Katara has a temper and anger can be an great blinder."

Slowly they all fell into restless sleeps, all thinking about how the events of tomorrow would play out. Aang lie awake next to the fire for some time before he was able to finally slow his thoughts down enough to drift into unconsciousness.

If he had only said something when Katara started yelling at the dinner this whole big mess could have been avoided. Now, everything was going to get a whole lot worse and he had no idea how he could help. The Avatar was supposed to be the world's mediator and he couldn't even fix this one problem.

For some reason everything was much harder now that the war was over.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Katara rose early the next morning, only to find her friends sitting bleary eyed next to the still warm embers of the fire from the night before. The sun was barely rising in the sky, and the bags under her eyes signaled to them that she hadn't been able to sleep well. They all knew that even tired she would be able to take the Northern waterbender.

"Don't try to change my mind, I'm doing this" Katara growled when her brother opened his mouth to say something.

"I was just gonna wish you good luck Katara" Sokka rolled his eyes, "even if this is a stupid plan, we're all rooting for you." Aang, Suki, and Toph nodded in agreement, though the weariness was clear on all their faces. Katara felt a pang of guilt that her choice had kept her friends up with worry but she pushed it from her mind, she had a fight to win.

The group walked down the path to the main part of the village in silence. Katara's fists were clenched and the determination on her face unyielding. When the five of them finally reached the main square, they found many people already gathered there. Surprisingly Hakoda and the leader from the North were absent, most likely already preparing for the fallout that would come after the fight ended. Katara knew she was being a pain by not backing down, but her pride would not allow it. The Northern idiot had challenged her and she had never been one to back down from a fight. She noticed him standing amongst his friends and laughing, though he looked as tense as she. His tribal brothers had most likely warned him that Katara was a formidable opponent, but it seemed that her being a woman overroad stopped him from feeling threatened enough to back down from the fight.

The rage from the night before bubbled up in Katara's stomach once again when she looked at his smug face.

"Are we doing this or what?" she yelled out to him, gathering two large bubbles of water into her palms.

He gave her a cocky smile, flicking two whips of water in response. "I'm surprised you actually showed up. I promise I'll go easy on you."

Katara suppressed the wave of anger that threatened to overwhelm her. He was goating her, trying to throw her off her game, but it wasn't going to work. She managed to smirk back at him after taking a deep breath, the only reason he would be trying to egg her on like that was if he was scared. He should be scared.

Suddenly a water whip came her way. She easily avoided it, grasping the water and absorbing it into her own reserves. Twisting her wrists she shot a geyser back at him, redirecting her rage into power. The Northern bender was knocked off his feet, but he shot back up quickly, regaining a solid stance.

Just as she was about to attack again she jerked forwards, almost falling over. Looking down she noticed shards of ice encasing her boots, but she noticed her opponent hadn't attacked while she was was distracted by her immobility. He seemed to be stuck as well.

"Just what _are_ you two doing?" an annoyed voice called from the crowd which quickly parted to reveal a familiar face.

"Master Pakku!" the Northern boy yelled in astonishment. Katara hadn't seen the old man at dinner the night before, but it seemed he was still in the Southern tribe.

"Katara your grandmother told me about this ridiculous fight. I have to say I'm extremely disappointed in the both of you." With a swift slice of his hand, both Katara and her opponent were released from the ice. The Northern boy quickly gathered some water again, ready to strike, but paused when he noticed that Master Pakku was shaking his head.

"Kaito you're a strong fighter and a good bender, but you really must be stupid if you think you can take _her_ on and win. She got some good blows in when I fought her and she hadn't even been trained then" Pakku sighed, rubbing his temples.

"She's just a girl, I can take her" the boy, Kaito was his name, replied. Though he dropped the water he had been preparing his strike with.

"No, no you can't. I doubt even I could 'take her' now that she's been fully trained" Pakku glared at the boy, not amused by his response. "You do realize she taught _the_ Avatar waterbending?"

"I..." Kaito faltered.

"And you" Pakku said, turning towards Katara, "I know you have a temper Katara but you can't let your feelings dictate your actions. You'll end up in ridiculous situations like this."

Katara stayed silent. She knew her former master was right but she didn't want to give him any satisfaction by admitting it.

"It's not weak to back down from a fight Katara, especially one with so much subtext behind it" Pakku continued, "you both know the smart option would have been to avoid this yet here we are, all because neither of you could put your pride aside for a few minutes."

Kaito frowned and glared at Katara, a look which she happily returned.

Pakku turned to face the crowd of young men that had gathered to support their brother, "This 'girl' as you all insist on calling her helped save our tribe. Or have you all forgotten when we were attacked by the Fire Nation last year?"

A grumble of 'no Master Pakku' sounded from the group, who all looked as if they were children who had been caught doing something naughty.

"You all know no one in our tribe respects tradition more than I, but Katara is a strong warrior and without her many good men would have died. If you idiots have your heads buried so far in the snow that you can't even acknowledge that than Chief Hakoda would be right to send you all back North. All the Southern Water Tribe is asking for, all _Katara_ is asking for, is respect. To refuse them something to simple is insufferably stubborn."

"Master Pakku is right" Katara finally spoke, "I don't want to prove I'm better than any of you, just that I'm your equal. Don't treat me like I'm a child or just a girl who doesn't know her place. I could take any one of you in a fight and you all know it. I just want my people to be treated with respect no matter if they're a man or woman."

Pakku nodded, "you benders could actually learn a thing or two from this young lady if you put your pride aside for just a moment. She has more battle experience than any man living in the North Pole today, that's valuable information."

"I'm not sure if any of them would want any waterbending tips from me" Katara snorted at the impetulant look on Kaito's face, "but I know a few women who do. I'd be willing to teach them."

"You're saying we can't protect our own women?" Kaito scoffed, bristling at the implication.

"Bending isn't just fighting" Aang piped up, "it's a way of movement, a philosophy. It _shouldn't_ just be used for battle."

"The young Avatar here is right" Pakku folded his arms behind his back, "just because your wives want to learn more than healing, it doesn't mean they don't trust you to protect them. It's in their nature to bend. Young Katara here to taught me that very lesson when she visited our tribe."

"You know our women are as committed to Northern Water Tribe traditions as we are Master Pakku. They would never volunteer to break them" Kaito reasoned, throwing his arms in the air in frustration.

"I'd be willing to learn from Master Katara if she'd have me" a voice spoke up from the crowd and a young woman came forward, only a few years older than Katara herself.

"Aisuka!" Kaito yelled, surprised, "you really think that's wise?"

"Yes Kaito I do. I want to learn how to bend. I've never liked healing and you know it so if she's willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn."

"You don't need to know how to fight! I can protect my own family" Kaito's face reddened.

"I know dear, but I want to learn to bend properly, I... _need_ to know how to bend properly and I know many of the other wives and daughters feel the same way. Healing is a respected and sacred art, but many of us want more than that. I want my daughter to feel as safe around me as she does you" Aisuka held her ground, glaring down her husband.

"Of course I'd be willing to teach you!" Katara interjected, now elated. Kaito sent her a glare but managed to keep his mouth shut, "for me, so much of my bending was about defence. But it always felt so _right_ when I could feel the push and pull of the water, even if Aang and I were just practicing forms. I remember when I got my hands on a waterbending scroll and I learned my first actual waterbending move it was like I had found a piece of myself I didn't even know was missing. Ever since I found out I was a waterbender all I wanted was to learn how to bend, which was why it was so crushing to learn no one would teach me at first."

Kaito sent the young waterbender a strange look, "bending is natural to us that's true...but healing is what the women are supposed to learn, that's just the order of things."

"I just don't understand that" Aang shook his head, "wouldn't it be beneficial to your tribe if more warriors knew how to heal properly? Obviously if women are the only ones who truly study the art to its fullest extent they would be priceless on a battlefield, yet they aren't allowed anywhere near it. And if you aren't there to protect your family if something goes wrong shouldn't your wife be able to do so in your place? Don't you all want your families to be as safe as possible?"

"Of course!" Kaito replied, "but protection is a man's job, that's our burden to take! That's a warrior's duty!"

"There's nothing wrong with sharing a burden" Aang shrugged, "at the air temples we _all_ shouldered the responsibilities of the community. Everyone helped raise children and cook meals and take care of the temple, we all shared the responsibilities together instead of assigning duties to a single person."

"That's just...not how things are done here!" Kaito huffed, crossing his arms in frustration.

His wife laid a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, "Kaito, there's more to the world than just what exists inside of the Northern Water Tribe. I think it's time for you and the rest of the warriors to realize that."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **Four weeks later**

Aang perched atop one of the many supporting structures that had been newly constructed around the perimeter of the Southern Water Tribe. Their perimeter wall was coming along faster than he thought it would, though being in the South Pole the waterbenders never ran out of construction materials. The wall itself wouldn't be as large or impenetrable as the one protecting their sister tribe, but that's just how the Southerners had wanted it. Less imposing and more welcoming.

Aang inhaled the crisp air and closed his eyes, clearing his mind of any distraction as the rhythmic crashing of the ocean waves against the ice lulled him into a meditative state. The last few weeks definitely hadn't been easy, but they were an unquestionable improvement from his first day with the tribe. He measured his breathing in a way almost second nature to him.

 _In and out._

The icy air bit at his ears and nose and Aang instinctively exhaled a cloud of warm air to surround him. With his eyes closed and the temperature now comfortable, Aang's mind couldn't help but drift towards memories from long ago.

 _In and out._

A morning meditation session with his Master, the calm of the morning not yet having been broken by the daily activities of the Southern Air Temple. He could almost smell the sweet scents of lemongrass as it drifted up towards him from the air bison grazing fields below.

 _In and out._

A light breeze drifted by and Aang could almost feel the warmer airs of Spring rushing over him. Soon arctic seal cubs would be barking from their colony only a mile away from the Tribe and baby wolf-foxes would sneak into camps to steal any food the men had gathered. Life had once again been breathed into the Southern Water Tribe in more ways than one.

 _In and out._

Aang opened his eyes, pulled out of his meditative state as the tinkle of laughter reached his ears. Turning around on his perch he saw Katara leading a group of women and children down to the outskirts of the town, ready to teach a morning class.

Aang felt a swell of pride as he watched the young waterbending master running her pupils through the many forms of waterbending. After the potentially catastrophic duel in the town center had been put to a stop, she had immediately started teaching Aisuka the basics. The same basics Katara herself had taught Aang nearly a year ago.

The two women had become fast friends and Aisuka had soon gathered more wives at their morning meetings, speaking highly of Katara's talent as both a bender and a teacher.

Soon enough, even some of the children had joined in; interested in where their mothers had been disappearing every morning. Aang had even heard rumors that a few of the younger and more open minded boys had asked their mothers to show them how to heal. It was unbelievable how much could change in just under a month, and it was all thanks to Kaito's wife for being brave enough to stand up to both her husband and her tribe. Aang had a deep respect for the courage she had shown.

Many of the men still seemed uncomfortable with Katara's morning classes, but less and less would speak out about it as the days wore on. Aang guessed that after the incident two weeks ago even they could see the benefits in their loved ones being able to protect themselves from the many dangers on the arctic tundra.

One of the younger children had wandered off, away from the tribe and on to a frozen lake. With the warming temperatures of coming spring, the ice had become brittle and even the weight of the child's small body was enough to break through it. If the child's older sister hadn't known the waterbending Katara had taught her, it would have been impossible to pull him out in time. It was pure luck that she had been observant enough to notice the child's absence, and that she was close enough to save pull him out.

After that many of the men found it hard to argue the benefits of the women learning to bend properly.

As Katara's class ended and the women began to disband Aang jumped off of his perch and floated gently to the ground below, snow crunching beneath his feet.

He walked over towards his friend, waving when she turned to look his way. She gave him such a genuine smile that Aang nearly stopped in his tracks and his heart began pounding in his chest. He hadn't seen the waterbender this happy since she had first learned to bend, being a teacher was well suited to her.

"Hi Aang!" she greeted once he was close enough, cheeks rosy from the morning chill.

"How did class go?" Aang asked, trying to quiet his heart.

"Great! Everyone's learning so quickly! I think a few of them are even ready to start moving on to the more advanced moves. Aisuka could start teaching classes of her own soon."

Aang smiled, "that's great Katara."

"I mean you were a fast learner Aang so I was a little worried that it would be different with new students, but I guess it's all working out" Katara laughed as they began walking back up towards the house for breakfast.

"Well I had some great teachers" Aang smiled at her and Katara felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

"How much longer are you staying?" she asked, trying to avoid any awkward silence.

"I...was going to leave tomorrow" Aang answered quietly, trying to ignore Katara's look of outrage.

"Tomorrow?! Why didn't you tell us you were leaving so soon? Did you...not want me to come with you?" she asked, looking down at the snow.

"No! You were just so focused on your classes I didn't want to distract you...and I wasn't completely sure when I would have to go, but it looks like things are more stable down here now. I didn't think you would be able to come with me this time now that you're teaching" Aang rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I...guess so" but she didn't sound happy, "where are you heading now?"

"The Fire Nation" Aang smiled, "I still have a lot of firebending to learn, and Zuko sent me a letter saying he could use some help with everything."

"Oh..." Katara replied, but Aang could see she was feeling a bit left out, "is it just you?"

"No, Toph said she was coming because my earthbending could still use some work but I think she just wants to go somewhere she doesn't need shoes."

"I see."

The two finished their walk up to the house in a heavy silence. Katara had seemed so content teaching that Aang hadn't wanted to pressure her into leaving with him, he assumed she had wanted to stay and finish her classes first. But obviously he had guessed wrong. She seemed so _happy_ teaching, Aang didn't see why she would want to leave that.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur as Aang and Toph prepared for the long journey up to the Fire Nation. Appa seemed a bit annoyed that they were making another journey already, but Momo seemed rather excited to escape the ice. There weren't many nuts and berries in the South Pole for him to snack on.

Sokka and Suki approached Aang as he sat around the warm fire, mentally checking off provisions. Toph was still packing in the bedroom and Katara was sitting against a wall, trying to fix yet another hole Sokka had managed to rip in his pants.

"Aang! We're coming with you tomorrow!" he announced excitedly.

Aang looked at his friend in surprise, "really? Don't you have to stay here and help you dad?"

"Well I talked to him and he said that because the Southern Water Tribe still hasn't hammered out any official trade deals with the Fire Nation it could be a good idea for us to send someone in person to figure it out" Sokka said with a lopsided smile, "and we wanted to see Zuko."

Aang laughed, excited more friends would be joining them but he couldn't help but send a look over at Katara who's aura of gloom only seemed to deepen at her brother's announcement. Now she would be the only one left behind in the South Pole.

Suki seemed to sense the same thing, "Katara, you're sure you can't come with us? Team Avatar isn't the same without you."

Katara reluctantly shook her head, "it would be irresponsible of me to leave the classes wouldn't it? I mean who would take over?"

"I guess so" Aang replied, frowning. It didn't feel right to leave her behind.

The rest of the night passed quickly, everyone having to gather more last minute provisions now that the size of their group had doubled. Aang feel asleep easily, but the only thought on his mind was the fact that they were leaving Katara all alone.

Morning seemed to come too quickly, and Aang was reluctantly pulled out of slumber when he felt a hand shaking him awake.

"C'mon twinkletoes, if we don't leave soon we won't make it to Whale Tail island before sundown" Toph grunted at him, obviously still sleepy herself.

Aang sat up and glanced over at Katara's sleeping bag, which was surprisingly empty.

Toph seemed to sense his confusion, "I guess she left to get some early morning practice in."

The four of them gathered up their sleeping bags and after being forced to eat something before they left by Sokka and Katara's Gran Gran they walked out the front door, only to find someone already sitting on Appa as he pulled at the few strands of grass poking through the snow.

"What took you guys so long?" Katara grinned down at them from Appa's neck.

"Katara!" Aang shouted, a wide smile spreading over his face, "but I thought you said you couldn't come!"

"Well last night after you all went to bed, Master Pakku stopped by and asked who would be teaching my classes after I left" she shrugged, "I guess everyone assumed I was leaving with you guys anyways. So Master Pakku agreed to teach some of the more advanced benders along with his normal students and Aisuke agreed to keep teaching the newer students the basics. So it all worked itself out."

"Team Avatar together again!" Sokk cheered as he reached Appa's saddle, sliding down his neck to give his sister a dramatic hug. Katara pushed her brother off with a laugh and a roll of her eyes.

"I guess 'Avatar's companion' is a pretty good excuse" Toph joked, leaning back and resting her hands behind her head as she settled down in her normal spot on Appa's saddle.

Aang smiled, it seemed that as happy as teaching made Katara, traveling the world like old times made her even happier.

"Appa!" she yelled, a smile breaking across her face, "yip yip!"

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **I hope that ending wasn't too cheesy for you guys, but I wanted all of team avatar together again. I just love Katara as a character, she's really fun to write and I know everyone else loves her two so I want to keep her in the story as much as I can. Leave a review and let me know what you think of my story so far and thank you for reading!**


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